


Snippets

by noahm



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: AUs, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, and other extremely cheesy tropes, root beer, stuck on an uninhabited planet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-24 08:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2575550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noahm/pseuds/noahm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Garashir ficlets, written during/for NaNoWriMo 2014. Some are fluffy, some are angsty, some are neither. Some take place in AU's, some in the Star Trek universe. Thanks to samleftdean and cosmictuesdays (on Tumblr), for the prompts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Do I know you?

Julian grinned. “Hello!” he said excitedly. The other man looked confused, and Julian’s smile faltered.  
"I’m sorry, do I know you?" the man asked.  
Julian shrugged, trying to seem confident, despite the fact that he was disappointed that the man hadn’t recognized him. ”Well, not really, I guess. I, eh, I work at the coffeeshop around the corner. You come there every day. In fact, no one else has ever come there every day for as long- wait, sorry, I’m starting to ramble.”  
"Indeed you are."  
"My name is Julian." With a grin, he held out his hand, and the other man shook it.  
"And mine is Garak."  
"Pleased to meet you, Garak. You have good taste in literature."  
"Why, thank you."  
"Though I must admit, the book you were reading this morning… what’s it called again?"  
"The Never-Ending Sacrifice. You’ve read it?"  
"Right! That one. I _have_ read it, in fact, but I must admit, I found it a little hard to get through.”  
Garak smiled. “And I wouldn’t expect anything else from someone who’s not Cardassian. Though I hope you were able to appreciate the underlying message of the book.”  
"Ah, of course. Nothing is more important than your duty to the state. Cardassia above all."  
"Indeed."  
"So this isn’t your first time reading it?"  
"Oh, no! I’ve read it at least three times. In my _humble_ opinion, it might just be the greatest work in all of Cardassian literature.”  
"Well, in that case, I don’t think I should read any more Cardassian literature.”  
"Now, Julian, you’d do well not to insult a stranger’s culture like that."  
"I’m sorry, but can’t you understand that I’d find it a bit boring?"  
"I suppose I can."  
"Good. But, if you have any recommendations, I’d be happy to try them."  
He smiled. "An open mind. The essence of intellect. Ah, Julian, I believe the cashier is waiting for you to pay."  
Julian turned around and smiled apologetically at the cashier. “I’m sorry,” he said as he paid for the food he’d bought. The cashier counted the money, and Julian turned back to Garak for a moment.  
"I’ll see you tomorrow, then."  
"Yes. I suppose you will."


	2. Dirty little secret

"I just… I’m tired of being your… your dirty little secret."  
Garak turned around and searched the younger man’s face. It was clear that Julian was feeling miserable, and Garak desperately wanted to make that go away, but he didn’t know how. He didn’t even know what to say, for once in his life.  
"I’m tired of hiding in dark corners," Julian said, "tired of having to lock the door before I even get to hold your hand, tired of pretending to be just friends, tired of having to hide my joy, of having to act like I don’t really care about you whenever I see you in public. I’m tired of only being with you when there’s no one else around. I’m tired of secrecy. And frankly, I don’t understand what it is that makes you want to hide. Are you ashamed of me? Am I not good enough for you? Am I not _Cardassian_ enough for you?”  
"Julian-"  
"I know, I know. You never meant to hurt me, you don’t want me to feel like I’m not good enough for you. Well, then don’t make me feel that way!” Julian took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. He looked at Garak, who looked heartbroken, even a little bit scared. He sighed. “I love you, Garak. I want to be with you. Hell, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t hide. I can’t be your little secret. I can’t do it.” He was crying now, and he could see that Garak was, too. Julian didn’t know if he wanted to walk away and never return, or to take the other man into his arms and never let him go, so he did neither. He just stood there, waiting to see if Garak would say anything.  
He did.  
The words were soft, almost inaudible, but Julian heard them. He heard them, he drank them in, he drowned in them, and it was oh so sweet.  
"I love you, too, Julian. Please, never leave me."


	3. Make me

Julian crossed his arms. "Garak. You know I _hate_ this show."  
"Indeed, my dear. You do."  
"So give. Me. The. Remote."  
He was pouting. Julian was actually pouting.  
Garak raised his eyebrows. "Make me."  
Julian's mouth fell open. "You're kidding."  
"Not at all."  
The younger man smirked. "Alright. I will."  
Julian unbuttoned his shirt, showing off smooth, brown skin, and moved slowly towards Garak. As he sat on Garak's lap, straddling him, he saw the Cardassian's mouth hanging slightly open. This was working already. He kissed the older man softly.   
"You know, Garak," he said, taking off his shirt and throwing it on the floor, "I really-" a kiss, "want-" another one, "that remote."  
"Do you really?"  
"Hmm," Julian confirmed as he slid his fingers over the Cardassian's neck ridges. "I do."  
"How badly do you want it?"  
Julian smirked. Garak was good at this game, but Julian was better. He moved his hips slowly back and forth as he kissed Garak deeply, cupping the other man's jaw with his hands. It didn't take long before Garak was unable to resist putting his hands on Julian's hips, and when that happened, Julian quickly realized that this meant that Garak was no longer holding the remote. The young man grabbed the remote, got up, and sat down next to Garak on the sofa.  
"Good timing," he said nonchalantly. "X-Factor is about to begin."


	4. Good enough

Julian didn't cry while he packed his bags. Not even a little bit. There were no more tears left to cry. It was done, over, finished. He'd always known this day would come. He'd always known that there would be a day when Garak would cease to love him. Not because he did something wrong, not because he was annoying, over-excited, or because he cared too much. Not even because everything ends.  
One day, Elim Garak stopped loving Julian Bashir, because Elim Garak was Cardassian, and Julian Bashir was human. And no matter how hard Julian tried, no matter how much Julian loved Garak, it would never quite be enough. Garak needed a Cardassian. It wasn't Garak's fault, and it certainly wasn't Julian's, he knew that, but that didn't make it any easier.  
Neither of them said anything as Julian walked through the room, suitcase in one hand, his teddy bear Kukalaka in the other. Neither of them said anything as they looked each other in the eyes for what both of them knew would be the last time. They were both quiet. But right before Julian opened the door, he couldn't help but break the silence.  
"I've never been good enough for you, have I?" he said.


	5. Coffee

"Thank you _so much_ for helping me move in," Julian said. "I'm glad to see my new neighbors are better than my previous ones."  
"Well, I am only one neighbor. The others might be dreadful."  
Julian frowned. "Are they?"  
"You'll have to find out for yourself."  
Julian smiled as he stopped walking. "Well, this is me. I guess I'll see you around."  
Garak nodded, smiling, and turned around.  
"Wait!" Julian said just before the other man was out of sight. Garak turned and looked at him questioningly. "Do you... Do you want to come inside for coffee?"  
Garak smiled. "Ah! I'd love to."  
The young man opened the door and gestured for Garak to go in before him.   
"How polite of you."  
"Respect your elders, right?" Oh. Shit. Shouldn't have said that.  
Garak's eyebrows shot into the air. "And just how old do you think I am?"  
Julian blushed. "I- I didn't mean-"  
But Garak smiled, and Julian was relieved. "I was only joking."  
"Oh, thank god."  
\----  
"I see you enjoy reading."  
Julian grinned. "Oh, yes! Very much. It's one of my favorite things to do, actually."  
"And one of mine. May I ask, what sort of books do you enjoy most?"  
Julian thought about that for a second. "Well, all of them, I suppose. I don't really have a preference. I read everything from science-fiction novels to Cardassian literature."  
"Cardassian literature! Really?"  
"Really."  
"And you're not just saying that to please me?"  
"You must think very highly of yourself, to think I would say anything just to please you."  
"Well, I didn't mean to say-"  
Julian smiled warmly, and Garak stopped talking at that. "Garak. I was only joking."  
"And I suppose that was your _revenge_."  
"You suppose correctly."


	6. You look like shit

"You look like shit."  
Garak’s eyes widened. He seemed offended. “Likewise, Doctor.”  
Julian frowned and looked down at himself. He was covered in dirt and grass, and his uniform was tattered. He smiled. “I suppose you’re right.”  
"Yes, I suppose I am. Unfortunately, uninhabited planets aren’t renowned for their abundance of sonic showers."  
Julian sighed. “Indeed. We’ll have to find a river somewhere. And we’ll have to hope we can get the runabout’s replicators to work, because I don’t think I can survive seven days and fifteen hours on nothing but Starfleet emergency rations.”  
"And I suppose you’ve calculated that that’s how long it will take for the others to realize that we’re gone and then come find us."  
"I have, in fact."  
"Very impressive."  
Julian smiled widely.  
"So, it looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a week." Garak took a step towards Julian.  
"What on earth will we do with all that time?" Julian asked, leaning in towards the older man.  
"Oh, I think I have a few ideas."  
"Really?" Julian asked.  
"Hmm."  
Garak kissed him deeply.  
"You know, Garak," Julian said, running his hands through Garak’s hair, "it’s quite warm here."  
"Indeed it is."  
"And our clothes are useless."  
"Yes. I believe we might as well take them off."


	7. Root beer

"No, please, anything - anything but that."  
Julian rolled his eyes. "Garak. You drama queen."  
"What?"  
"Nevermind."  
"I am not, I repeat, I am _not_ going to drink root beer."  
"Not even for a kiss?"  
"Julian. You'd kiss me anyway."  
"What if I told you I won't kiss you for an entire week unless you try root beer?"  
"I think we both know that you'd be bluffing.”  
“You don’t know that.”  
Garak gave him a look that said something along the lines of ‘you’re not going to win this, Julian, so you might as well give up,’ and Julian shrugged.  
“What if I told you that if you have one sip, just _one sip_ of root beer, you’ll get twice the usual amount of kisses for an entire week.”  
“My dear, if you kissed me anymore than you already do, I don’t think I’d ever have time to do anything else.”  
“I suppose that’s true.”  
“I really don’t see why me trying root beer would be in any way beneficial.”  
“Oh, but don’t you see: if you love it, you’ll have to admit that Earth’s culture isn’t as inferior as you always make it seem, and if you hate it, you’ll make an adorable face and I’ll get to tease you about it for the next few days. If I’m lucky, you’ll hate it so much that you’ll stick out your tongue. But I suppose I shouldn’t get my hopes up.”  
Garak sighed. “I give in.”  
He took a tiny sip from the can of root beer, and immediately he pulled the same face that many humans would pull if they ate something unexpectedly sour or bitter.  
The funniest thing was that Garak almost seemed _offended_ by the taste. Julian _would_ have made some snarky remark, if not for the fact that he was unable to stop laughing.


	8. Swimming

“ _Really_ , Doctor, I don’t see why-”

“Come on, Garak. It’ll be fun.”

“Doctor, I really must protest. I honestly don’t see the point of this.”

“The _point_ is that it’s _fun_.”

“But the water is ice cold!”

Julian shrugged. “It’s really not that bad once you get used to it.”

“My dear Doctor, I do _not_ desire to ‘get used to it’.”

Julian sighed and shook his head. “Alright. You’ve left me no choice.”

Garak frowned. “No choice, Doctor? What do you mean?”

Julian grinned mischievously, and Garak didn’t like it. He’d seen that grin before. Too many times.

Julian climbed out of the water, and before he knew it, Garak was in the swimming pool, and Julian was laughing at him. Garak just floated there, shocked.

“Oh, Garak,” Julian heaved, “Your face! Oh, my God. You should have seen your face.”

Garak couldn’t help but laugh. He wanted to be annoyed, but he had to admit, the whole situation was really quite ridiculous.

“Watch out!”

Garak moved aside just in time. A fraction of a second later, Julian jumped, curled into a ball, and let himself fall. Garak burst into uncontrollable laughter at the face Julian made when his head emerged from the water.

With that huge, ridiculous grin still plastered across his face, Julian slapped his hands onto the surface of the water, causing thousands of tiny drops to fly into Garak’s face.

“Doctor, may I ask, what exactly is it that you’re trying to do?”

Julian’s grin widened. “I’m starting a _war_.”

———-

“You have to admit, it was fun,” Julian said later that day. Garak didn’t disagree with him.


	9. Lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sappy cheesy stuff! yay! kinda au i guess. since it says books about aliens are ridiculous

Garak was not raised to believe in fate, or destiny, or luck. Things simply happen, that is all. There is no mysterious force that drives these things to happen. There is only time, time that passes not quite slowly enough. At least, not when Garak wants it to be slow.

Yet, in those moments, when a young man named Julian Bashir is walking next to him and holding his hand, or sitting on his couch, reading some book about aliens or magic or something else that's just as ridiculous, or when he's lying next to him, whispering sweet words that Garak is almost too sleepy to understand, Garak wonders. He doubts if time is really all there is, if these things can simply happen. And sometimes, just sometimes, he indulges in the thought that maybe, somehow, this was 'meant to be', and he mouths a silent "thank you" to fate, or destiny, or whatever it is that gave him this.

And when he looks upon Julian's hand and sees the simple, golden ring that sits so comfortably around his finger, Garak feels not only grateful, but just the tiniest bit... _lucky_.


	10. Fashionable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian finds out Garak burned the Risa outfit. Somehow, even this leads to kissing. I don't even know anymore. What am I doing with my life? Seriously, what?

Julian rummaged through his closet. He’d been packing for his and Garak’s trip to Risa (Julian’s idea, of course), and he’d wanted to pack the outfit he’d worn the last time he was on Risa, but he couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Elim? Have you seen my purple tank top? And those trousers I always wear with it?” he called out.  
“Hm?”  
Julian walked into the living room, where Garak was sitting, reading a book. “You know, the tank top with the blue-”  
“Oh! I remember,” he said dramatically. “How could I _ever_ forget that abomination? No, I’m afraid I haven’t seen it.” Garak gave him a smile, but there was something off. He seemed to be hiding something. Julian frowned.   
“Are you sure?” he asked.  
“Of course. I think I would remember if I’d seen those clothes.”  
Julian sighed. “Well, then I’ll just look for them some more.”  
“Really? Are you sure that would be worthwhile?” Garak said, getting up from the couch and walking towards Julian.  
“It’s my favourite outfit.”  
“Ah, of course. But you haven’t got very good taste, do you?”  
“Elim-”  
“Shh.” Garak kissed Julian gently.  
“Are you trying to distract me?”  
“Only if it’s working.”  
“It’s not. You’re up to something, aren’t you?”  
Garak raised his eyebrows. “Not currently, no.”  
“Garak. What have you done with my clothes?”  
He kissed him again. “My dear, now is really not the time to worry about clothes, don’t you think?” Another kiss. “Unless we’re thinking about taking them off...”  
Those cool, soft lips on his own, the promise of even better things... Julian almost gave in. But no, he needed to find out what had happened to his favourite outfit.  
“I’m not kissing you until you tell my where my clothes are.”  
“My dear Julian, are you feeling alright? All your clothes are in your closet, of course.”  
“I meant the tank top outfit, specifically. You know I did.”  
“Alright. I might as well tell you.”  
Julian raised his eyebrows expectantly.  
“I burned it.”  
Julian's mouth fell open and he took a step back and frowned in disbelief. “You burned it?”  
Garak nodded calmly, almost smugly.  
He was outraged. How could he just... burn his clothes? What made him think that was okay? “Garak, what the hell? Why- How- oh my God!”  
“There’s no reason to be so upset. They’re just clothes.”  
Julian gestured wildly. “Those were my favourite!”  
“I repeat: you haven’t got very good taste.”  
“I don’t care about my taste, about what you think of my clothes, about how fashionable I am. It’s not okay to burn someone’s clothes, Garak!”  
“Even if those clothes hurt the eyes of everyone who ever sees them?”  
“Elim-”  
“Look, we can go to my shop and get you some new clothes tomorrow, and you won’t have to pay for them.”  
“You’re making it sound like you’re helping me.”  
“I am helping you. I’m saving you, and everyone on Risa, from your fashion sense.”  
Julian sighed and shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder why I like you so much.”  
Garak raised an eyebrow. “I think I have an answer for you," he purred. He took a step towards Julian and kissed him deeply, slowly running a hand through his hair.  
“Really?”  
“Hm. Shall I show you?”  
“Oh, yes, please. I’m very curious.”


	11. Teddy bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian makes a teddy bear that looks like Garak. Deep Dish Nine universe I guess. A little OOC, I know, I'm sorry. Blame it on the NaNo, I guess. Right now I'm just trying to salvage what I can from the mess that is my NaNoWriMo project. Boy, am I glad that's over. But hey, I did make 50K! That's good.

“Look, Elim, it’s you!”  
Julian grinned proudly as he held the teddy bear up for Garak to see. It looked ridiculous, but he’d been working on it for hours, and he was glad it was finished.  
Garak raised an eyebrow. “My dear, I’m afraid I really don’t see the resemblance.”  
“Come on, okay, come here, take a look. He has your eyes, and look, these are your clothes, you know, the outfit that looks like a watermelon-”   
“For the hundredth time, Julian-”  
“Shut up. Look, it looks just like you!”  
“I really don’t see-”  
“Come on, Elim, humour me. I worked on this for hours.”  
“I didn’t ask you to.”  
“Elim.”  
“Alright. It does look a bit like me.”  
“Ha! It does. But I _am_ afraid it doesn’t _quite_ capture the _full_ extent of how _adorable_ you are.”  
Garak’s eyebrows practically flew up. “Adorable?”  
Julian grinned. “Yes, of course.”  
“And when you say adorable, you mean-”  
“I mean adorable.”  
Garak frowned.  
“Case in point.”  
“My dear, I’m not sure I understand-”  
Julian pulled Garak in for a deep kiss and ran his hand through Garak’s hair. When he pulled away, Garak looked startled, his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open and his hair messy. Julian quickly got out his phone and snapped a picture of the Cardassian. He showed it to him, grinning.  
“See? Adorable.”


End file.
